Diplomat: Chavez 'Buying' D.C. Lawyers

A high-ranking Latin American diplomat tells NewsMax that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is using his country's oil billions to buy influence in Washington.

"Everyone thinks Chavez is a dummy, but he's smarter than that," said the diplomat, who has contacts throughout South and Central America.

"He's been putting many major Washington, D.C.-based law firms on his payroll."

The diplomat suspects that's the reason why Washington has gone soft on Chavez's antics. He cites the following examples of Chavez's behavior:
Chavez has called for a "jihad" against American influence, and recently said the Bush administration was "eroding the possibility of peace and life" on Earth.
In mid-May, the Chavez government announced that it was considering selling its fleet of U.S.-made F-16 fighters to Iran - and a week later Chavez said he would buy Russian-made fighter jets.
Chavez has repeatedly claimed that the U.S. is plotting to overthrow him. In March, he said he wanted to prepare his military for a "war of resistance" against U.S. troops - and in December a Chavez ally alleged that authorities had foiled a plot by opponents and the CIA to topple his government.
Chavez has forged a close relationship with Cuban Communist Fidel Castro, and sent tens of thousands of young Venezuelans to Cuba for indoctrination.
Venezuela has sheltered groups with ties to Middle Eastern terrorists and has allowed Venezuelan weapons to reach Colombian guerillas, according to a senior U.S. official.
Chavez has been accused of interfering in presidential elections in Peru and Nicaragua and funding an anti-democratic movement in Bolivia, which recently nationalized its natural gas industry.

The Latin American diplomat did not name any law firms that are on Chavez's payroll, but told NewsMax that the Venezuelan leader had access to billions of dollars through Petroleos de Venezuela, the country's national oil company, and evidently agrees with Lenin that capitalists can be bought.

Finding out which lawyers Chavez has hired would be difficult, since law firms do not have to disclose their private clients. But the diplomat said a Congressional investigation would quickly uncover how Chavez is paying off both Republicans and Democrats in Washington.